WHAT CAN FAITH DO?
The people who were called for the fellowship of Christ, for them the ocean of future grace is free, inexhaustible, unmerited, unearned and unconditional. This is not a contradiction. It is pervasively Biblical according to the former reference and that information is not contradictory to the main theme of this topic. The sanctification is by faith in addition to meritorious works. But there is a problem herein behind the continuity of future grace.
We should believe that faith in the future grace is the only means by which we can become free from the deceptive promises of sin and gain strength and courage to live. This is no doubt a radical and risk taking in a true christian life. On the other hand the condition of future grace appears to say that our life is completely depending upon promises which have power.
To say in some other way, promises will enable us to be good. We are not required to perform faith before what faith can alone perform. But to keep this in the correct track, we need to make clear that the conditions of future grace are of certain type. In this connection there are ten conditions for "future grace."
They are:
1)Loving God
2)Being humble
3)Going near to God
4)Crying out to God from the heart
సాక్ష్యం 5. Fearing God
6)Delighting in God
7)Hoping in God
8)Taking refuge in God
Quest for the Living God
9)Waiting for God
10)Trusting in God
There is also eleventh condition, which is 11) keeping covenant with God.
1.HOW THE SOUL ACTS WITH FAITH?
The common condition of our inner spiritual act is of course towards God. It is not outside act of the relationship with other people. Therefore all the above said conditions will represent certain kind of heart, they describe the heart that receives grace. These are not meritorious performances of the heart with all attention to our worth so that God will be indebted to our values. They are the acts of turning away from self and our emphasis to all that God is for us.
For example, loving God, delighting in God, and drawing near to God mean looking to God as beautiful, waiting and precious waiting for God, and taking refuge in God, hoping in God and crying out to God means looking for Him as a valiant rescuer. Trusting God means counting on His trustworthiness to meet everything that is needed.
Then fearing God means, standing in and at the infinite chasm, between His holiness and power on the one hand, our sins and weakness on the other. If we possess this kind of heart that shows the inner condition of our keeping covenant with God.
If we start to meditate upon those ten conditions that are mentioned above, they begin to look like less and less distinct of requirements more and more like different ways of describing the heart of faith. The heart that is fully satisfied that God is for us in Jesus, who is exemplified by all these things. Then all these acts of the heart are overlapping reactions with saving faith. Faith is not identical with any one of them, not their faith, but the element of each woven into what faith is.
As a matter of fact, saving faith loves God, and delights in God as sum of all that could ever satisfy the soul. Saving faith is humble because by nature it despises of self and looks to God. Saving faith draws near to God, and cries out to God and waits for God. The saving faith also takes refuge in God, believes in God and hopes in God because the essence of faith is to embrace God and God alone as the sum of all it will ever need.
The saving faith trembles at the very thought of offering such a great God to disbelief in His promises. All the conditions of future grace that we have observed so far are not additional to faith, but they are the expressions of faith.
2. CONDITIONS OF FUTURE GRACE, NOT FAITH
According to the previous information we have seen the conditions of future grace, that What can Faith Do? outward actions towards other people are the inner acts of Israel towards God. Actually those conditions are not part of faith. How do they fit in? How are a few of these conditions of future grace that are not faith but come from faith?
Jesus Christ once said an hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall come forth. Those who did good deeds to a resurrection of life. Those who committed evil deeds to a resurrection of judgement (John 5:28-29).
Therefore, the future grace of resurrection of life is guaranteed to those who have done good deeds in their life time. On the other side of this promise, is the warning mercilessly given to evil doers in this life time. “To be clearer those who practice such evil things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:21). The future grace of inheriting the kingdom of God is contingent are not preaching to the works of flesh.
John gave the same type of warning with regard to the specific importance to love. “We know that we pass out of death into life because we love the fellowmen. He who does not love meets the death” (1John 3:14).
In such position we cannot be in the best of future grace of eternal life if we do not love. Then “one who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1John 4:8).
Jesus Christ has His own specific impression about love, and makes it the condition of future grace of God’s ongoing forgiveness on us. He is of the opinion that if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men then your father will not forgive your transgressions.
The writer of the Hebrews sums up conditionally about future grace with holiness. Sanctification with all men and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. The condition, we have added and discussed are different from the ten conditions, that are already noted. They are actions or attitudes towards other people. But they are not just inner acts or heart towards God. Now the dilemma, we passed earlier is put more keenly. We do have to meet these conditions before we can know, the resources of final future grace. By confidence, they are the fulfillment of those conditions.
3.LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF LAW
If we observe carefully, we can notice that all conditions seemed to have lifted in love. Apostle Paul said concerning doing good and obeying the ten commandments that is what precisely and what love does. Love does no wrong to a neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of law. Forgiveness is essentially an expression of love. Paul also says that love is the essence of holiness or sanctification. May the Lord cause you to increase you rich in love so that you may establish your heart in holiness. So to say, all the behaviour that is required for a Christian, may be summed up in love.
Quest for the Living God
“Let all that you do be done in love” (1Corinthians 16:14).
What we have seen there in the ten conditions of future grace discussed already that we are summed up in faith. And the behavioural conditions we have just discussed are again summed up in love. That means, we may now say the conditions a Christian must meet to go on enjoying the blessings of future grace are faith and love.
There is a remarkable confirmation that we are going forward on the right track in this summary. Apostle Paul said the whole law is to be perceived by faith and says that the law is fulfilled with a phrase “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Romans 13:9).
These two words faith and love are so to say inspiration in the Bible as the summation of all that God requires for His people.
John put it in a striking way in his first letter. “This is His commandment, that we must believe in the name of His son Jesus Christ and love one another” (1John 3:23). It is surprising to find here is that the word commandment is used as singular though he mentions two. This is singular commandment to believe and to love. For John they are a singular but inseparable, also indistinguishable, commandment and love in his mind is to love one another while the faith is toward Christ.
If we look into the writing of Paul, faith and love mentioned together again and again as a kind of sum. What in his mind appears to be that he expected this from the churches.
“I heard of the faith in Jesus Christ, which exists among you and God’s love for all the saints” (from Ephesus). “The grace of our Lord was more than abundant with faith and love which we find in Jesus Christ”
These examples would be enough for our conclusion, that it is not by accident one but condition from future grace is summed up by faith and the other is summed up by love. This must have been the correct way observed and followed by the apostles.
4.FAITH AND LOVE OF FUTURE GRACE
We are now in full confidence to question and clarify doubt. Is it the condition of loving others means that before we claim a promise of future grace, which is designed to help us but with a radical, risk taking person of love? We perform before faith, what faith meant to perform.
In answer for the above question is negative because the reason is that faith towards God and love towards people (man) are not co-ordinative conditions. They do not remain side by side in the heart. Faith arises first and begets love. This is now quite clear in Galatians 5:6. “for in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor un circumcision anything but faith working through love”. What can Faith Do?
Therefore, faith produces all that God requires and does it through love. It means that love is not expected of us before faith, as faith is the root and source of love. We need to be confused because of earlier statement that love is the part of essence of faith. That was a reference to love for God. Then how we have to talk about love for other people who are not required to love others before we become people who trust in God whole heartedly? Again trust means believing in future grace.
So, it is possible indeed necessary to bank on the promise of future grace before we are transformed into a type of people who love others. We do not have to perform before faith, what faith is meant to perform and what faith performs is sometimes unspeakably hard.
Jesus was carried and sustained in His love for us by the joy set before Him. That means His love was made permanent by faith in future grace. And man is modeling for us how to take upon our cross and follow Him; on the Calvary road of love. Jesus entrusted Himself to this faith and followed His hope on the resurrection and the joy of reunion with His father and redemption of His people’s faith, in his faith worked itself through love.
5.IS LOVE A CONDITION OF FUTURE GRACE?
When it is said in the Bible about good conduct of love, or some form of it, as a condition of future grace, we have to remember two things in this connection. One is to love others. It does not sprint forth, that is already in full bloom from the soil of faith. The condition or future grace is not perfect love but real love.
The puritans used to speak of a new principle of love in heart as soon as we are born again. The behaviour of love is not on warnings of this example of love rooted in the soil of faith. Therefore, we need not think that mere immediate blessings of future grace, but we must wait till our love takes its long time to prove itself. God can see our heart and He knows what is the inner being.
There is a second thing, we must know, when the Bible mentions that loving others is a condition of future grace. So we must keep in mind that love relates to faith as existence to origin.
Love is necessary evidence of Faith. Faith appears and embraces spiritual beauty and worth of all that God is for us in the promise of future grace. The spiritual awakening to the glory of God in promises is the answer, which God unites us to Christ and to the spirit flow of future grace.
But this kind of faith eventually works through love so that love confirms the authority of faith. This is exactly what Peter had in his mind and confirms our calling and election through love. It is also the same thing which John has in his mind when he says, “we know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren.”
Quest for the Living God
So the Bible sometimes makes love the condition of ongoing and final experience of future grace. It does not mean love must practice faith in the promise. On the contrary it means faith in the promise must be so real that love which it produces, proves its reality of faith. This love for others is a condition of future grace in the sense that it confirms the primary condition as faith is genuine. Then we can call love for others is a secondary condition that confirms the authority of primary condition of faith.
Then the writer gave a beautiful comparison of brethern love and light. The light and love are both conditions of future grace. If God does not find in you those two things, He will know that you are not plugging into the power of future grace given by faith, He will call you and tell you that light is lessened and loneliness will not be given the benefits of future grace.
Therefore, faith and love are conditional of future grace but not in the same way. Faith presents the glory of God in the promises of future grace, and embraces all that the promises rend of what God is for us in Jesus. This spiritual apprehension and delight in God is the self authoritative evidence that God has to be a beneficiary of His grace. The evidence frees us to bank on the promise as our own and this banking on the promise, empowers us to love others; which in turn confirms that our faith is real.
The world is desperate for a faith that combines two things. One straight apprehension of unshakable divine truth, and utterly practical round the clock power to liberating difference in it. There is a great God of grace, who magnifies His own infinite self sufficiency by fulfilling promises to the helpless people who trust Him.
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4.
THE FUTURE GRACE OF SUFFERING
The main purpose of dealing with this particular topic is not just to show that the days are evil and the path of righteousness costly, but the promise of the Bible that God’s people must suffer in this world. As it is said, “many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord would deliver them out of all such calamities.” (Psalms 34:19).
Paul advises to all the young churches that through many tribulations, only we can enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said to His disciples, “if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” (John 15:20). Suffering is not a strange and uncommon thing for Christians. Indeed who desire to live godly life will be persecuted like Christ Himself.
In fact the way of life that comes from living by faith, in future grace will very likely involved more suffering. When you know that you are in the hands of all powerful, all knowing and all wise God who promises you that He would work all things for your good, you are free to take any risk that love demands no matter the cost of it.
It is a Biblical truth that the more we earn, we become the salt of the earth and light of the world. And also the more we are devoted we become to reaching the unreached people of the world who are expecting the works of darkness and losing the bonds of heaven, then prone to sin and satan and suffer more in their life time.
This kind of suffering always threatens us to destroy and discourage our faith in future grace. If we are well taught in the ‘word’ and if truth is God, it will go deep into our ‘soul’ and we will not be shaken under any circumstances. Instead of that we will see the suffering that not really the consequences of living by faith in future grace, but it is another gift of future grace.
1.WHAT MARTYRS MEANT TO BE?
At the end of the New Testament period, the apostle John got a vision from heaven and found under an altar some souls of those who were dead. They all shouted desperately and wondered how long they should wait in their graves. According to God’s answer to
Quest for the Living God each of them was given a white robe and a pastor has given a piece of advice that they must rest a while until some more are to be added to their number. In other words there is a number of martyrs appointed by God and that number must be fulfilled for the consummation centre.
With a span of three hundred years Christianity grew in the soil which was soaked with the blood of martyrs until the emperor Trajan. It was he who actually started the persecution which was neither official nor legal in his time. But from “Trajan to Dacius” they made this persecution legal and implemented it during their rule.
Dacius who was the hater of Christians, and their impact on his reforms until the first edict of tolerance. He made this persecution not only legal but also put it in regular practice, widespread and general.
Horror and disappointment took place among the Christians who renewed their faith. when threatening became enormous there was no lack of honour but to remain firm and suffer martyrdom rather than yielding to persecution as it grew wider and more intensive. But at the same time, the enthusiasm of Christians and their power of resistance became stronger and stronger.
For about 300 years men to be called Christian became risky for their life, for their profession and their families. It is only because they love the ‘Word’ and the extremity of that was martyrdom. Regarding martyrdom there was a sovereign God, who appointed certain number for that purpose. There was a special planning (for that) in this connection to make the mouth of satan shut who continuously says that the people of God serve him only because life goes bitter.
Martyrdom is not merely some thing accidental. It does not take God off guard. It is also not emphatically a struggle or a defeat for the cause of Christ. But it is a plan in heaven that human struggle would ever conceive or could ever design. It will triumph for all these, who can bear or endure till the end by faith in future grace.
Penalizing and causing some kind of suffering to Christians became a common feature all over the world in those days. Let us examine some countries which have this kind of experience. The suffering of Christians in ‘Somalia’ was like putting the Christians in a lonely place. Then they were tortured, without food till they die. The second was the churches themselves became killing centres. The third place was ‘Nigeria’ which had always experienced tension for Christians and Muslims. Many Christians were brutally killed. The fourth place we can mention is China where millions of Christians were harassed and driven to underground because of persecution.
If the suffering and persecution continues, the figures may change from time to time. Future Grace of Suffering This is all due to their faith towards God. This shocking and heartfelt news makes us believe that Christians are born to suffer and die. That is their destiny.
2.ABOUT THE DISCIPLES
The most democratic countries like U.S.A., it appears there is some antagonistic temperament among the intelligencia towards the evangelical church. The biblical vision of faith and righteousness among people are not shared not even admired in the society. Even the contents of the first commandment are somehow managed and misrepresented to the secular society.
The very name of Jesus is displeasing to some in the society and blasphemed by some institutions even. And in the present circumstances because of the discouragement from the society Christianity may not grow in such conditions. Two hundred years later St. Jerome said “The church of Christ has been founded by shedding His own blood, but not that of others by entirely outragement and by influencing it. But still persecutions have been made it grow and martyrdoms have crowded in."
3.SUFFERING SHAPES US WITH UNSHAKABLE FAITH
We find in the Bible, the more we suffer the more unshakable we will be in our faith in future grace. James says in this context “consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various activities, knowing the testing of your faith produces endurance."
God likes to love faith in future grace. His test will be stronger even to the breaking point because He wants to keep it pure, perfect and stronger. The best example for this test is of Paul who said in 2nd Corinthians 1:8-9, “we don’t want to be not aware of affliction that came to us in Asia that we were burdened heavily by over strength so that we hated even our life. Indeed, we had the sentence of death, within ourselves in ordeal that we should not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises the dead.” So God had some purpose, when He made us suffer excessively. This extreme suffering made Paul not to depend upon himself for anything but on God only; especially to future grace of God in raising the dead.
Therefore, God values our sincere and wholehearted faith in future grace that He accepts it graciously. Everything in this world that we might be tempted to rely on even nn life he has a right to take it away. God’s aim is that we must grow deeper and deeper in our faith and confidence. He wants us to be able to say with the psalmist “whom have I in heaven but Thee and besides Thee I desire nothing on earth…. My flesh and my heart may fall, God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalms 73:25-26).
It may be difficult to believe that everyone will respond to suffering in this way. Since
Quest for the Living God people may break after some experiences or problems. Jesus knew this and described it in Mark. In the parable of four soils He said, that some people who have the “word” received it, first with greatness. When they hear the word they received immediately with joy and they have no firmer in themselves but are only temporary.
When the affliction and persecution arise because of the word, immediately they fall away. Then we must be able to understand that affliction does not always make faith stronger. Sometimes faith crashes due to some unavoidable circumstances and then come to the paradoxical words of Jesus “whoever does not have even what he has shall be taken away from him” (Mark 4:24-25).
This is a call for us to face suffering with firm faith in future grace so that our faith may grow stronger and stronger and not to be proved vain.
The grace of suffering is clearly mentioned in the book of Romans. In this, apostle Paul says, “Christians exalt in the hope of glory of God”. That is our faith provided in the future grace of seeing God. Then Paul adds immediately that not only this but also we exalt in our tribulation of knowing that tribulations would bring about perseverance proven character, and proven character hope.
4.RESULT OF AFFLICTION
There are three important results of affliction mentioned in this connection. The first tribulation is about perseverance or patience and endurance. This we can find in Perisians who have the spirit of Christ and who continuously open their eyes to grace the effects of affliction. Until difficulties into our lives essentially, hardships for the sake of Christ and for the sake of His righteousness. We must not hesitate to exhibit the depth of our own faith as true Christians.
This experience leads us to the second stage and result of affliction. The result of perseverance is proven character. The result of proven character is the experience of being tested and approved. You are a persever with faith in future grace, that means you came out of that experience with a stronger sense that your faith is real. Then you prove yourself, you are more sincere, honest and trustworthy. You are not a hypocrite. The tree of trust was bent upon your fidelity and loyalty even put to test. And your sincere effort makes you pass that test also. Then they have a proven character God is also well pleased with your faith. The gold of your faith was put in the fire and came out trustworthy, refined but not consumed.
As George Keith in his work expressed the following verses:
“How firm a foundation Future Grace of Suffering
When through fiery thrives they pathway shall lie
My grace all sufficient shall be thy supply
The beam shall not hurt thee I only design
They drass to consume and its gold to refine.”
That is the second result of the affliction the perseverance in faith and in future grace.
It also brings about the surety of provenness. Then the third result comes from the sense of being tested and totally approved and finally refined. This again takes us back where we begin. We are correcting in hope of the glory of God. The fundamental principle of Christian life starts with hope in the promises of God and the Gospel. And also it moves painfully up through the affliction towards more and more hope – that is more faith in future grace.
The reason is that approvedness brings about more hopes as our hopes grow. Then we even experience the reality of our town authenticity through testing. We learn through pain as God is faithful and He confirmed our faith as real. The people whoever they may be with unwavering in their hope are tested most deeply. Some people who look more earnestly to the hope of glory and those who have established comforts of their life, will be stripped away through tribulations. These are the forent of all the people. Their love cannot be decreased by the threats or calamities
5.SUFFERING REFERS TO CHRIST
Another plan disapproved by God for the suffering is that it magnifies Christ’s worth and power. This is the grace that Christians really derive the greatest joy. It is the Christ magnified in our lives. When Paul was told by the Lord Jesus, that the thorn in the flesh will not be taken away. He supported Paul’s faith by experience. Why the Lord said, like that ? “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is more perfect in weakness” (2Cor. 12:9).
God ordained that Paul must be made weak, so that Christ would be made stronger in Paul’s belief. If we feel and look self sufficiency, we will get glory but not Christ. Therefore, Christ wants to select the things or persons and with that no man can boast of himself before God. And sometimes, God appears to make strong people weak so that the “divine power” will be more conspicuous and real. Through the Bible we know that Paul gained this experience as grace because he rejoiced in it.
So, Paul said in the 2nd Corinthians “I am hopping to boast of my weaknesses that the power of Christ may dwell in me. With that I am well content with the weaknesses. With insults, with persecutions, and also all kinds of difficulties for the sake of Jesus for whom I am weak, but I will become strong." When we say we are living by faith in future grace, means we are satisfied with all that God is for us in Jesus. Therefore, faith in future grace, will not shrink back from what resources and magnifies all that God is for us
Quest for the Living God in Jesus.
This is the outcome of our weakness and suffering. We have this treasure, God has kept for us in earthen vessels (pots). It is the surprising greatness of the power of God and not from ourselves.
Therefore, faith in future grace is glad with the apostle Paul to see the surprising greatness of God in our afflictions. The more we suffer in this material world, the more incentives or benefits in the next world called heaven. So our suffering helps us to understand that God is everything and He would take care of all we need. There are some other purposes for God also in our suffering. Through our suffering God is preparing for us an eternal height of glory beyond death.
God is working out His plans and purposes together in all the elect from all nations of the world and bearing in the consummation of His Kingdom. The critical point is this, the suffering that seems to threaten the future grace, is the reality of grace upon grace. To know this and to see how it can be so well helps you, before that when all around your soil gives that the Lord is all your hope and stay, peacefully and happily.
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CHAPTER - 2
5.
THE SCRIPTURE
Some of the exiled people that returned from Babylon planned to construct the “second temple” on the same foundation, but they could be successful only to some extent. They were unhappy as it was not completed. The Judaists were under the impression, life would be continued as before. At the same time, they were upset by the spiritual differences. The main reason why Israel were not happy over the issue of temple because it was not completed in construction and it was not like the legendary splendour of king Solomon’s structure.
The “Golah” (the exiled people that returned from Babylon were called so) made a strong opposition regarding the foreigners who came and settled in Judah in the absence of these exiles. The remaining Israel in Jerusalem hated the foreigners who came with honour. Added to that the temple priests also became lazy and inactive in their duty.
In such disturbed and unhealthy atmosphere the Persian king “Cyrus” happened to send Ezra, his minister to look after the affairs of Judah. So Ezra came to Jerusalem to do something. This incident took place in fourth century B.C. As soon as he came to Jerusalem, he started his work. He made the previous miscellaneous teachings an absolute value, so that it became “Torah” (law). The Persians under the able guidance of Cyrus and Ezra planned to revive the legal system of all their subjects to make sure they were happy and comfortable with the security of the empire.
Ezra was an expert in Torah. So he worked out a satisfactory method, then to implement that to Israel. But when he came to Jerusalem and studied the situation, he found the people were completely in different condition. First they were not “holy”. The inhabitants of Jerusalem were surprised to see the kings envoy Ezra, who set on the public street by tearing his garments in deep mourning. He called the entire Golah for an emergency meeting. He put a rule that if anybody refused to attend the meeting, he would be expelled from his community and his property shall be confiscated.
He read out that text by standing on a wooden dias as he was asked by the authorities
Quest for the Living God to do so. He explained the meaning also. The people never heard such words before, so they burst into tears. They were actually frightened by those unfamiliar demands. Then Ezra encouraged them not to weep. They could understand then only what the proclamation was about. It was a season of festival time also.
Then Ezra explained the law that commanded Israel to spend the month in special booths (Sukkoth) in memory of their ancestors who wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Immediately people rushed to the hills to pick up the branches of olives, myrrh, pine and palm leaves and appeared all over the city. It was really a ceremonial atmosphere as they assembled every evening to listen to Ezra’s exposition.
He began to craft a spiritual discipline based on a sacred life. The Torah and its writings had been now elevated above the other writings and for the first time it was called “the Law of Moses”. The most important element of this Torah spiritually was Ezra himself. He was a priest, a diligent scribe, in the Torah of Moses and a guardian of traditions. He was also in charge of religious affairs, a scholar who set his heart to investigate the Torah of YEHWEH and to teach law and oracle name to Israel.
The spiritual authors were making a point of telling us that the hand of Yehweh rested upon them. Torah’s study was not an academic exercise but a spiritual quest. Ezra’s reading and preaching by threat of expulsion and seizing the property made the people to assemble in front of the temple, in shivering because of the torrential rain. Through his speeches he warned Israel to be away from foreign wives. The law he read was clearly unknown to them who wept in fear as they heard it for the first time.
The “Chronicles” a historic narration which were written by priestly authors instantly a commentary on the “Deuteronomic” history of Samuel and Kings. When those two translated into Greek, they were called “Pathalipomina” the things omitted. Some other books that were written with wisdom explained to unsolvable problems of the suffering of the innocent people of the world ruled by God. The book of Job was based on folklore tales. According to that book God gave permission to Satan a legal persecutor of “Divine Assembly”.
God gave permission to Satan to test Job’s virtues by afflicting him. He tested Job with unholy and unsolvable calamities. And Job eloquently resisted against his punishment. He refused even to accept any of the conventional explanation by his friends who tried to console him. Eventually, Yahweh answered Job by referring to the events of the Exodus forcing him to contemplate to the master plan that governed creation. Job was forced to admit “I have been holding forth on matters, I cannot understand on marvels beyond me and my knowledge.”
The sage acquired wisdom by meditation on the marvels of physical world; but not by studying Torah. But during the second century B.C. some wisdom writers came closer to The Scripture Torah.
Among such people was “Ben Sirach”, a devoted sage in Jerusalem. She was an important woman writer, a gifted figure and a member of “Divine Assembly”. Then the Torah remained no longer a legal code, but an expression of the highest wisdom and most transcendent goodness.
At the end of second century B.C. there was an exploitation of apocalyptic piety, in this, Jews discovered eschatological visions in which God intervened powerfully in human affairs. He smashed all priests and introduced in all generations an age of justice and purity. As they struggled to find out a solution, the people of Judah split into myriad sets, each insisting on that which was the true Israel.
The “Canon” (means – principle of adding books to the main text) of the Bible had not yet been finalized. There is still not an authoritative scripture and no law of the sets found to be traditional realization of law and the prophets. Some even thought of taking liberty to write completely new Scriptures. The diversity of late second temple was revealed when the library of Qumran community was discovered.
Qumran was the culmination of Jewish history the true Israel. They were of the opinion that God would soon ensure a new world order and after that he would find a reality of the children of right and then think of a massive temple which was not made of human heads. It would be constructed and Mosaic covenant might be re-written. In the mention of Qumran community there was a pure symbolic temple that would replace the temple in Jerusalem.
Regarding Qumran, it was an extreme way of essenes movement, which had about four thousand members by the first century by itself. Most of the essenes lived in tight knit communities. But these members that lived in towns and villages had the permission to marry and have children. They had the communal meals in which they looked forward to the coming of God’s kingdom though they anticipated the destruction of temple, they continued their working there only.
In those days, the Pharisees, another set which comprised about 1.2% of the population were highly respected in the society. And their approach to the law and prophets was more conventional. They were open to such ideas as per the general resurrection, the dead would raise from their tombs to show God’s final triumph.
Majority of the Pharisees were lay people. But they made delicate efforts to appear like priests. They observed priestly laws in their own homes as though they were in the temple, came for the service. They were totally opposed by the Sadducees, who were conservatives and who interpreted the written text in a different way. They did not accept the idea about personal immortality.
Quest for the Living God
There was a desperate search for a new way of entering divine presence for new scripture and some way of being Jewish. So, sets were completely rewritten to order texts.
If God really wanted to exterminate the human race in the flood, by commanding Abraham to kill only his begotten son and drowned the Egyptians army in the Sea of Reeds (Red sea is wrongly translated from the Hebrew Bible). God did not really want to exterminate the human race on the earth because after all we are his own creation. He never interferes in the affairs of human beings. But the suffering of people around us was the evil work of the Satan and his demons.
In the first century A.D., there was a widespread expectation regarding “Messiah” an anointed one would be coming to keep the world in order. In spite of occasional reforms it remained as undeveloped issue among people. In the late second temple period, God would be establishing a new order without human assistance. At that time, there was a mention of king David, who would inaugurate the kingdom of God set forever for the judgment.
Another text spoke of the order, who would be called the Son of God and the Son of man, bring peace into the world. But all those things were changed when Pompey the great Roman emperor conquered Palestine in 63 B.C. and it became a province of Roman empire which caused some benefits to them to some extent.
King Herod, who reigned in Jerusalem from 37 B.C. to 51 B.C. rebuilt the temple in general and the pilgrims flooded into the city to celebrate festivals. Just at that time, the Roman government became unpopular, and some of the prefects notably Pontius Pilate went out of the way to ensure Jesus and some prophets tried to mobilize the people to revolt. A prophet by name “Kemon” an Egyptian persuaded four thousand people to congregate over the mount of Olive in order to storm the Roman fortress built near to temple. Unfortunately they were suppressed by the Romans. Actually both Jews and Christians experienced hell in their reign. Once it is said, the Romans happened to crucify two thousand Jews at a time outside Jerusalem.
During 20 A.D., John the Baptist an escetic prophet, who must have belonged to the essenne movement was able to draw the attention of a large number of people to Jerusalem desert. He preached and baptized them, he used to say to whoever come to him that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. He mercilessly attacked Jews, who were hypocrites, by saying to be ready for the great judgment. They were also asked to confess their sins and take baptism in Jordan river. The Jews were even warned to take oath, to live honest and blameless life. But he never preached anything against Romans.
John the Baptist was a relative to Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was also called a Galilian, a healer and exorcist, who announced the immanent arrival of the kingdom of God. And about the same time anti Roman feeling came into the minds of people. Just at that The Scripture peak time Jesus was crucified under the authority of Pontius Pilate.
This incident took place, when Jesus came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover festival. But His death was not the end of that movement. Some disciples were convinced of the rise of Christ from His death. They claimed they had seen Him in visions and His personal resurrection was heralded.
Everybody was of the opinion as Jesus would soon return in glory, to inaugurate the kingdom. The leader of the disciples James was the brother of Jesus. He was also known as “TzAddir” which means the righteous man. James had good relationship with Pharisees and essenes. But the movement which was started earlier, regarding their hatred towards Romans attracted Jews also who spoke Greek.
Jesus movement was unusual in particular whose many sets were hostile to the gentiles. There was a large Jewish community in Alexandria with different attitude. It was a wonderful city created by Alexander himself which later became a major center for learning. Alexandrian Jews studied sports and games, spoke Greek, including Jewish culture and a few of them spoke Hebrew also. In spite of all that they could not understand “Torah”.
Some of the learned Jews planned to translate their scripture into Greek during the third century B.C. on the island of Pharos first at the coast of Alexandria. This project of translation was initiated by particularly Alexandrian Jews themselves. It was a great success and continued for some years. It acquired a mystical aura (may be improvement). The Greek king of Egypt was impressed by the Jewish translation work of scriptures. Then he asked the high priest in Jerusalem to depute six elders from each of the tribe (twelve tribes) to Pharos. They all worked on this text and did a wonderful job of translation.
The king was very much impressed by their effort and their perfectness. He wished for the preservation of those translations for future generations. So the king planned to keep them in an unperishable condition. In honour of the seventy plus translations which were known as “Sopthagist”. The seventy translations proved to be prophets and priests of the mysterious word of God in the same way as the Biblical authors themselves.
The last story was told by a famous Alexandrian “Phio” (70-40 B.C.) who came from a wealthy Jewish family from Alexandria. Although Philo was the contemporary of John the Baptist, Jesus and Hellel (one of the most distinguished of the early Pharisees). He inhabited a very different intellectual world. Philo was a Platonist. He preached a large number of commentaries on Genesis and Exodus which were transformed into “allegories” of “Divine logos”.
Philo did not insist on the allegorical method in his works. He must have followed classical writers like Homer and other Greek writers and philosophers. By inserting this allegorical method into the Biblical narrations, Philo did not think he was side tracking the originals. He
Quest for the Living God took the literal side of stories very seriously. As a Platonist, Philo believed in his time loss dimension as reality was more real than its physical or historical dimension. So while Jerusalem temple was undoubtedly an actual building, its architecture symbolized its “Cosmos”. The temple was also an eternal manifestation of God who was the truth.
Philo wanted to show the Biblical tales were what the Greeks called “Mythos”. And the people became more faithful and spirited in their day to day life. The process of allegory which translated gave a deeper meaning of the stories into the inner life of readers. The allegory was a term used by historians to discourse. When that was used, its meaning is different from its surface meaning. Philo introduced this method for his work.
The term “Hyponovia” means ‘higher or deeper thought’ because he was trying to reach a fundamental level of truth. Philo wrote four “thesis” on the story of Cain and Abel in an attempt to discover its underlying philosophical significance. Finally he described the main theme which was battle between “love of self and love of God”. Self love was represented by Cain and love for God by Abel. Cain wanted to possess everything for himself because of such nature, he might be called a selfish man. Abel means who referred everything to God only. These noble qualities are presented in the person of Abel.
In other confession, the story illustrated a conflict between true and false. Abel could not give proper response to the argument of Cain. He remained tongue tied and selfless until his brother murdered him. This incident was clearly and accurately explained by Philo as such things happen when “Egoism” got out of the hand and destroy the love of God within us.
Through Genesis Philo gave tp the Greek educated Jews of Alexandria, the structure and symbolism to enable them to contemplate. It might be a difficult thing but revealed the basic truth and spiritual life in it. He also brought some refinement in the Biblical conception of God. He made them enormously important distinction between God’s essence which was entirely incomprehensible to human beings. But we can apprehend God’s activities and powers in the world.
Like “Ben Sirach” Philo too believed that when we got a glimpse of Logos in creation and Torah we would be taken beyond the reach of discursive reason to a rapturous recognition. Philo commented on the first book of the Bible Genesis and read the first chapter in which it is said God created the world in six days. The number six was a symbol of perfection. He noticed there were two different stories about the creation in Genesis. The first one described the creation of “logos” the master plan of the universe, which was God’s first born. And the second might be more earthly account. Then the second chapter symbolize the fashioning of national and universal by the divine craftsmanship. The Scripture
Philo was not simply a clever manipulator of names and numbers, but he had a spiritual practice also. Like any other Platonist he experienced knowledge as remembrance known to him already at some profound level of his being. He some times struggled within himself with his books and appear to make no progress.
At the time of Philo’s death, a programme has been arranged against Jewish community in Alexandria. Through out the Roman empire, there was widespread fear of Jews. The rebellious Jews called “Zealots” caused this threatening but the authorities had decided to handle the situation in a ruthless manner. In 70 A.D., the Roman emperor finally seized Jerusalem. The soldiers broke into the temple and inner court. Inside the temple the Roman soldiers found six thousand Jewish zealots ready to fight till they die. But to their surprise they saw the temple in burning flames while some of those zealots could not see that. They also jumped into the flames. And some other group took their swords to fight tooth and nail in honour of their Almighty.
Once they saw the temple was in flames, they desperately withdrew themselves from the attack. They lost interest to save the church and to defend themselves. They watched the city also in flames. The officers of the emperor Titus efficiently demolished what was left of the city. The temple remained in the hearts of Jewish people for centuries because it was central part of Jewish religion. Unfortunately the temple was attacked for the second time also but it was left with minor damage.
Quest for the Living God